The present invention relates to an electronic cooling apparatus which cools a refrigerant by an electronic cooling device using the Peltier effect, circulates the cooled refrigerant and supplies the refrigerant to a pad, thereby cooling the morbid portion of a patient, where the pad is applied.
As a conventional electronic cooling apparatus of this type, a therapeutic cooling apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-77583. FIG. 6 shows the basic arrangement of this therapeutic cooling apparatus. Referring to FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a cooling unit (pad) which is applied to the morbid portion of a patient; 2, a supply valve for controlling the flow rate of a refrigerant supplied to the inlet port of the cooling unit 1; 3, a refrigerant temperature adjustment means; 4, a pump for circulating the refrigerant; 5, an inlet-side measurement means, arranged between the supply valve 2 and the cooling unit 1, for measuring at least the temperature of the refrigerant; 6, an outlet-side measurement means, arranged downstream the outlet port of the cooling unit 1, for measuring at least the temperature of the refrigerant; and 7, a comparison means for comparing information obtained by the inlet-side measurement means 5 with that obtained by the outlet-side measurement means 6.
In this therapeutic cooling apparatus, the refrigerant is cooled by the temperature adjustment means 3, and the cooled refrigerant is circulated by the pump 4 and supplied to the cooling unit 1. A temperature T.sub.in of the refrigerant entering the cooling unit 1 is detected by the inlet-side measurement means 5 and supplied to the comparison means 7. The comparison means 7 controls the supply valve 2 on the basis of the difference between the detected temperatures T.sub.in and T.sub.out, thereby adjusting the amount of refrigerant to be supplied to the cooling unit 1. At the same time, the comparison means 7 controls the temperature adjustment means 3, thereby maintaining the temperature T.sub.in of the refrigerant to the cooling unit 1 within a predetermined range.
In such a conventional therapeutic cooling apparatus, the temperature of the refrigerant to the cooling unit 1 is detected to control the temperature adjustment means 3. For this reason, temperature control is delayed, so no quick temperature control can be performed.
In addition, when the temperature of the refrigerant is directly detected by the inlet-side measurement means 5 and the outlet-side measurement means 6, these temperature detection units are arranged in a thin pipe, resulting in clogging.